Community
Tackling autism across disciplines
By Kara Rose
Amy Hewitt, senior research associate in the Institute on Community Integration, knows that when it comes to an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), no single practitioner—educator, medical professional, social worker, or therapist—has all the answers. She’s learned that during her 20 years as a researcher in intellectual developmental disabilities, as a trainer, and as a service provider. She also lives with and helps coordinate services for an adult family member with autism.
“I’ve seen firsthand that there’s a real need for leaders who take a multidisciplinary approach to providing services for people with ASD diagnoses and their families,” she explains.
That’s where the University’s new Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) program comes in. The program, funded with a $900,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is designed to prepare future leaders who will serve children with ASDs and other neurodevelopmental disabilities and their families. LEND will teach graduate students and fellows in a number of disciplines across the University to think beyond their own fields of expertise when providing health care, education, and social services or when making policy.
“Autism and related neurodevelopment disorders are complex and require a strong interdisciplinary approach,” explains pediatrician Dr. Michael Reiff, associate professor in pediatric clinical neuroscience and director of the LEND program.
He and Hewitt, the program’s training director, are among 13 faculty and staff in 12 University departments involved in the project, including the School of Social Work and the Department of Educational Psychology. Educational psychology professor Joe Reichle is the project’s research director. Outside collaborators include Gillette Hospital staff, youth diagnosed with an ASD, and family members who serve as trainers and advisers.
This fall, 12 graduate students and postgraduate fellows began weekly LEND seminars and individualized leadership learning plans. Watch for the first graduates in spring 2010.